“A right unexercised is a right lost” is the motto of many open-carry advocates. Newly-elected Congresswoman Lauren Boebert from Colorado wants to live the model — and do it on the grounds of the Capitol.
Liberals and anti-gun nuts are having a cow because Rep. Boebert wants to wear a personal firearm when going to work. She apparently asked the Capitol Police about the law and was told that several members of Congress are already carrying.
Capitol Police are not likely to reveal what they told Boebert.
Capitol Police did not release how many lawmakers carry weapons in the Capitol when asked by the Democrats on the House Committee on Administration in 2018, saying “there is no standing requirement” for lawmakers to inform them when they carry a weapon in the Capitol, according to the AP.
The congresswoman is also remaining tight-lipped about her request.
“This was a private discussion and inquiry about what the rules are, and as a result the Congresswoman-Elect won’t be going on the record,” Boebert aide Laura Carno said in an email last week.
The inquiries by Boebert, who runs Shooters Grill, come as guns remain a passionate issue for both parties, fueled by images of demonstrations by armed Trump supporters, conservative pushes to ease state gun restrictions and recent years’ mass shootings.
The law is a little hazy, which is probably why Boebert was seeking some clarification.
A 1967 regulation says no federal or District of Columbia laws restricting firearms “shall prohibit any Member of Congress from maintaining firearms within the confines of his office” or “from transporting within Capitol grounds firearms unloaded and securely wrapped.”
Lawmakers may not bring weapons into the House chamber and other nearby areas, the regulations say, according to a letter Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., wrote in 2018. Aides can carry lawmakers’ weapons for them on the Capitol complex, he wrote.
Huffman’s interpretation of the law and regulations is completely subjective. An anti-gun Democrat, Huffman has made it his mission to banish firearms from Capitol Hill. He called the carrying of guns “outdated and risky.”
“Members could have a loaded AK47 sitting on their desk and no one would ever do anything about it,” Huffman said.
He also said with lawmakers exempted from passing through screening devices throughout the Capitol campus, “no one checks” to make sure they’re not bringing guns onto the House floor.
And if members did have a loaded AK-47 sitting on their desk, what would be the problem with that? Is anyone shooting it? Is anyone even pointing the weapon at someone? Are there even any threats against others referencing the gun?
This kind of hysterical fear of guns is common on the left and is why we have such draconian gun laws in many jurisdictions. Kids today are being taught to be triggered by the very sight of a gun and are harshly punished if they’re caught playing with fake guns.
There are apparently several members of Congress who know their rights and exercise them. Rep-elect Boebert is just the latest and she won’t be the last.
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